Towing overweight

[jeremywatco]

Good Morning,

First off let me clarify by stating i am not looking for anyone to tell me what to do or what not to do. I know this will be a touchy subject with risks but its an honest question.....

My 2014 Fleetwood Storm has a 5000# towing capacity.

I am looking at a toad that weighs 5330# (Durango). Let's say I take half the fuel out of it (90#) I'd be at 5240#.

OK so pretty much zero tongue weight, how much extra stress is 240# of pulling weight going to cause? Hitch is 5000# hitch.

Now I realize 5000# is 5000#.. however we aren't full timers and probably would tow a toad 1000miles a year.. MAYBE if that.

I just want to know if I am being foolish by even thinking it...

[Bumpyroad]

NMace wrote:
Please. How about some details; location, dates, amount of judgement, and as already asked, did he not have insurance?

I thank you for your input.

I'd like to know if it was a diesel pusher as they "all" weigh over 26,001 lbs. and in MD require special licensing. did that lawyer look in the owner's manual of the Class A and find the place where it says, "if towing over 1,500 lbs., an auxillary braking system is recommended"?
bumpy

[NMace]

Please. How about some details; locatiion, dates, amount of judgement, and as already asked, did he not have insurance?

I thank you for your input.

[tropical36]

fpresto wrote:

NMace wrote:
For those of you warning of legal problems from towing slightly above specs, can you furnish a citation of where and when it has ever happened with a non-commercial RV.

I realize that the OP has solved his problem but others may be in the same boat. What people forget is that civil suits are decided by emotion not law. I had jury duty and had to go in as part of the pool for a lawsuit against a class A owner. I wasn't selected but was interested enough to stay and watch. This suit involved a Class A that rear ended a sedan at a light. The light turned yellow and the sedan stopped. The Class A didn't and there were injuries. The only ticket he got was failure to have his vehicle under control. He did not have supplemental breaking on his toad but it is not required in Maryland just the ability to stop in a certain distance at a certain speed. That did not stop the lawyer; every chance he got he brought up the fact that supplemental braking was available and if the owner really cared about the safety of the public he would have installed it and the little kids wouldn't have been hurt. He painted him as a rich man (owned an expensive RV) who could care less about the little person His lawyer countered that he was within the law, but he didn't have a chance against pictures and doctor statements on injured little kids. Emotion won out over the facts and he was hit with a very large judgment.

And what, his insurance company denied the claim and this law suit which was against who, him or his insurance company. Even without liability insurance, bodily injury is always covered or I would think so.

[fpresto]

NMace wrote:
For those of you warning of legal problems from towing slightly above specs, can you furnish a citation of where and when it has ever happened with a non-commercial RV.

I realize that the OP has solved his problem but others may be in the same boat. What people forget is that civil suits are decided by emotion not law. I had jury duty and had to go in as part of the pool for a lawsuit against a class A owner. I wasn't selected but was interested enough to stay and watch. This suit involved a Class A that rear ended a sedan at a light. The light turned yellow and the sedan stopped. The Class A didn't and there were injuries. The only ticket he got was failure to have his vehicle under control. He did not have supplemental breaking on his toad but it is not required in Maryland just the ability to stop in a certain distance at a certain speed. That did not stop the lawyer; every chance he got he brought up the fact that supplemental braking was available and if the owner really cared about the safety of the public he would have installed it and the little kids wouldn't have been hurt. He painted him as a rich man (owned an expensive RV) who could care less about the little person His lawyer countered that he was within the law, but he didn't have a chance against pictures and doctor statements on injured little kids. Emotion won out over the facts and he was hit with a very large judgment.

[jeremywatco]

Thanks for all the info... wife decided on a new Jeep Grand Cherokee.. so we are officially underweight!

Now to buy baseplates, tow bars, figure out lights.. etc......

[mowermech]

I towed my Jeep (see sig.) with our old 1995 Tioga class C across the Continental Divide several times with no trouble at all. I even went off the highway to Forest Service campgrounds with the Jeep in tow.
Nothing bent, nothing broke, nobody was injured or died.
I use a cheap ($145) Reese fixed arm adjustable width towbar, rated at 5000 lbs.
I have no idea what the Jeep weighs.
It all works, that's all that matters!

[mena661]

jeremywatco wrote:
Thanks for all the info. Again, I wasnt asking for anyone's "blessing" the question was about stress on the frame.

I did hear back from fleetwood and I got an off the record response of.. keep the GVWR low and keep both below GCVWR, beef up the hitch and go for it.

And the question regarding the curb weight.... That was my mistake. That was the curb weight of the F53 chassis prior to fleetwood assembly.

Which model of Storm do you have? Just so you know, the F53 chassis can handle up to 10,000 lbs towing depending on configuration. Since yours is a 18,000 lb GVWR model it won't do all of that but there is definitely some overage designed in. If you're going to do this, I would go to a truck shop and have a 7500 lb hitch installed.

[AllegroD]

jeremywatco wrote:
Good Morning,

First off let me clarify by stating i am not looking for anyone to tell me what to do or what not to do. I know this will be a touchy subject with risks but its an honest question.....

My 2014 Fleetwood Storm has a 5000# towing capacity.

I am looking at a toad that weighs 5330# (Durango). Let's say I take half the fuel out of it (90#) I'd be at 5240#.

OK so pretty much zero tongue weight, how much extra stress is 240# of pulling weight going to cause? Hitch is 5000# hitch.

Now I realize 5000# is 5000#.. however we aren't full timers and probably would tow a toad 1000miles a year.. MAYBE if that.

I just want to know if I am being foolish by even thinking it...

The risk is not just yours. You are not just risking your property but the lives of my (all) family. There is a reason there is a rating system, which provides you adequate limits to travel safely for the sake of those traveling around you. Please don't tow over the rated limit of your setup?

[tropical36]

One has to wonder why so many equate, being overweight with their toad, automatically translates into danger for themselves, passengers and to others on the road, when in most cases, it just puts a strain on the rig's transmission in mountain terrain. Example.... and with our exact same coach on a Ford Chassis, the GCWR increases dramatically and because of the transmission, with all other factors being the same. Just wondering what piece of their engineering research, prompted these opinions? Now, are these specs. always a truism, or just one company wanting to advertise better and then worry about a few extra warranty claims later? As for hitch strength being the only factor, that should be the least of concern with a good structural inspection.

[Flanz]

OhhWell wrote:

Flanz wrote:

jeremywatco wrote:
Good Morning,

First off let me clarify by stating i am not looking for anyone to tell me what to do or what not to do. I know this will be a touchy subject with risks but its an honest question.....

My 2014 Fleetwood Storm has a 5000# towing capacity.

I am looking at a toad that weighs 5330# (Durango). Let's say I take half the fuel out of it (90#) I'd be at 5240#.

OK so pretty much zero tongue weight, how much extra stress is 240# of pulling weight going to cause? Hitch is 5000# hitch.

Now I realize 5000# is 5000#.. however we aren't full timers and probably would tow a toad 1000miles a year.. MAYBE if that.

I just want to know if I am being foolish by even thinking it...

What would you expect people on this group to say.....YOUR OVER WEIGHT PERIOD! You want the blessing of people here so that you can go out and possibly hurt someone, never mind the people who travel with you? The BIGGEST issue is breaking. The second BIGGEST issue is control. You sit and try to rationalize the situation to talk yourself, and others, into saying.....OH this is okay. The fact that you state that your not "fulltimers" makes no sense at all. What does that have to do with being overweight?

-paul

The breaking of which part?

That's pretty funny though. 300lbs or so over the 5000lbs spec and he is going to fly out of control and kill a whole family? Goodness.

Sorry - My spelling at times isn't always good. It was meant to be the actual "brakes" as being the first important item.

-paul

[OhhWell]

Flanz wrote:

jeremywatco wrote:
Good Morning,

First off let me clarify by stating i am not looking for anyone to tell me what to do or what not to do. I know this will be a touchy subject with risks but its an honest question.....

My 2014 Fleetwood Storm has a 5000# towing capacity.

I am looking at a toad that weighs 5330# (Durango). Let's say I take half the fuel out of it (90#) I'd be at 5240#.

OK so pretty much zero tongue weight, how much extra stress is 240# of pulling weight going to cause? Hitch is 5000# hitch.

Now I realize 5000# is 5000#.. however we aren't full timers and probably would tow a toad 1000miles a year.. MAYBE if that.

I just want to know if I am being foolish by even thinking it...

What would you expect people on this group to say.....YOUR OVER WEIGHT PERIOD! You want the blessing of people here so that you can go out and possibly hurt someone, never mind the people who travel with you? The BIGGEST issue is breaking. The second BIGGEST issue is control. You sit and try to rationalize the situation to talk yourself, and others, into saying.....OH this is okay. The fact that you state that your not "fulltimers" makes no sense at all. What does that have to do with being overweight?

-paul

The breaking of which part?

That's pretty funny though. 300lbs or so over the 5000lbs spec and he is going to fly out of control and kill a whole family? Goodness.

[jeremywatco]

Thanks for all the info. Again, I wasnt asking for anyone's "blessing" the question was about stress on the frame.

I did hear back from fleetwood and I got an off the record response of.. keep the GVWR low and keep both below GCVWR, beef up the hitch and go for it.

And the question regarding the curb weight.... That was my mistake. That was the curb weight of the F53 chassis prior to fleetwood assembly.

[Flanz]

ferndaleflyer wrote:
I wouldn't worry about it----you won't even know its back there. And thats a fact from one that has don it. As far as the legal end: My Aunt and Uncle were hurt real bad by a car that came off of a tow bar, crossed the medium, and hit them head on. They got a small settlement from the insurance Co but it had nothing to do with towing capacity.......that was never mentioned. I don't know how some of you ever get to do anything as you worry to much about lawyers, petty regulations, having a flat, dog ran across the road, boat won't float, etc to much.....Take a chance on life---you only go through it once!

You miss the point - It has nothing to do with "lawyers" it has to do with being safe and not hurting or killing others. I like your statement above "My Aunt and Uncle were hurt real bad by a car that came off of a tow bar, crossed the medium, and hit them head on". Now was this "safe"? Someone got seriously hurt because someone didn't have or understand what the proper equipment was or needed to tow.....SAFTEY CHAINS!!! This is the point, having a properly setup piece of equipment on the road and making sure your not going to hurt anybody.....

-paul

[ferndaleflyer]

I wouldn't worry about it----you won't even know its back there. And thats a fact from one that has don it. As far as the legal end: My Aunt and Uncle were hurt real bad by a car that came off of a tow bar, crossed the medium, and hit them head on. They got a small settlement from the insurance Co but it had nothing to do with towing capacity.......that was never mentioned. I don't know how some of you ever get to do anything as you worry to much about lawyers, petty regulations, having a flat, dog ran across the road, boat won't float, etc to much.....Take a chance on life---you only go through it once!